If you overly esteem talented individuals,
people will become overly competitive.
If you overvalue possessions,
people will begin to steal.
Do not display your treasures,
or people will become envious.
The Master leads by
emptying people's minds,
filling their bellies,
weakening their ambitions,
and making them become strong.
Preferring simplicity and freedom from desires,
avoiding the pitfalls of knowledge and wrong action.
For those who practice not-doing,
everything will fall into place.
Translated by John H. McDonald
I can see two main meanings for this verse. The obvious one is that if society didn’t “value” one thing over any other thing, no one would be motivated to steal, lie, compete and so forth. But, more personally, the less I “value” worldly things outside of myself, the less I’ll feel robbed when someone takes my stuff or wins that promotion over me. I only experience being robbed if I’m tightly gripping something that I believe to be of worldly value.
I believe that the Tao Te Ching is gently telling us to de-clutter the mind of ‘worldly desires’ and live a more simple existence. It’s not about being lazy and trying for nothing, rather it is about trusting and allowing. It is about moving from that place of the unsettled mind which is bogged down with constant struggles and the need for more; and allowing yourself to fall into a place where you detach yourself from desires and outcomes.
Redefine Success
Today we live in a world that is strongly driven by ambition, and as a result many of us have evolved into stressed-out over-achievers. We believe in the hype that we must be more and have more, therefore we are always living in a state of striving and never arriving. Overvaluing the need to have ‘more’ and achieve ‘more’ leads to a constant struggle of wanting ‘more'. It becomes an endless pursuit of seeking ‘more’ - more wealth, more power, more material things, more knowledge, more achievement and so forth.
It is a world where inner peace can never be found for there is always something ‘more’ to seek, do or achieve.
We also feel the need to prove our worth by being a busy bee, and as a result our schedules are overbooked with endless chores and activities –and if we are completely honest with ourselves we do 75% of these activities because we think it is expected of us and not because we genuinely want to.
Stop pushing yourself so hard. Savour the process and feel gratitude and awe for ‘just being’ or ‘what it is’.
Get back to the roots of simplicity, and ask yourself one important question “What truly makes me happy?” Then give yourself permission to fall in rhythm to the sound of your own life without fear of what others will think. Drop the need to ‘be ambitious and exceptional’ and the desire to lead ‘an exceptional life’. Rather relax into life and simply enjoy the more ordinary things, the small and simple things that bring you great pleasure.
Life is filled with something bigger than those petty details and anxieties of your lofty desires to ‘have more’. Don’t let desires blind you. Remind yourself that success is not found in accolades, money, wealth, ambition and so forth.
Quieten yourself so you can hear the Tao. Then release your grip and have trust in the perfection and harmony of the Tao. For more on this topic I recommend reading my post Ways To Redefine Success
Drop The What’s In It For Me’ Attitude
Modern western culture is primarily based on consumerism and achievement. For many of us there is this fear of ‘not enough to go around’ or ‘I might miss out’; and as a result we have evolved into a “taking” culture and developed a ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude.
It is about dropping the ‘me mentality’ and not allowing yourself to become consumed with the thought ‘what is in it for me’. Instead,